"A German Paper states that a Dr. Von Mayerly has
lately invented a pair of boots made of block tin, and surrounded by a hollow body, by means of which he can pass over the most rapid river, lie has lately ex- hibited his contrivance at Pest, at which place he walked upwards of 500 fathoms in the Danube, where it is very rapid and deep, in the presence of a great number of spectators."—The above paragraph has made the round of all the papers during the last month, but we confess we do not understand it. The Lirerpoq .1!.c;.cury contains a long article to prove its absurdity, inasmuch as, in order to enable the wearer of these boots to keep his equiliorium on the water, they must be edged with a ruff, which, when one of his legs is out of the water, would totally prevent his raising the other.—Globe.
We must go a step further than the Globe, and confess that we understand the Liverpool Mercury as liifle as we understand the German Paper. Doctor tirnott, in his Elements, mentions " a great inventor, who published to the world that he had solved the important problem of walking safely on the water, and invited a clam a to W1U1es his fast essay. He stepped boldly upon the wave,
equipped in a pair of bulky cork boots, which he had previously tried upon a butt of water at home ; but it soon appeared that he had not pondered sufficiently on the centre of gravity and floatation, for in the next instant, all that was seen of him was a pair of legs sticking out of the water."
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